Thwarted Demise
by Guchy
Summary: A retelling of Episode II’s ending. Albedo is dragged to the Durandal, chaos has something up his sleeve and the post of the White cloak is empty...what would happen next? ON HIATUS
1. My crazy brother

Thwarted Demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Xenosaga. I wish I did though

**Summary: **A re-telling of Episode II's ending by The Little Master himself. There are plenty of spoilers so BEWARE! Oh yeah, this is supposed to be funny, but I insist on writing seriously. Uh…:sweat drop:

_**Chapter 1: My crazy brother**_

_(Jr. POV)_

_Space-time anomaly/Former Miltia site _

My feet continued to drag me through the reddish space-time anomaly that my demonic half had created with the sole purpose of facing me in a one-on-one battle a la "Old West" style. I didn't like this idea one bit, but, to be sincere, Albedo's little melodramatic scenes were beginning to turn me on, and DON'T GET ME WRONG PEOPLE! I meant it in the sense of infuriating me to the verge of shifting to Red Dragon mode.

Another shimmering portal stood before me and I crossed it, silently hoping that it would lead to the real Albedo once and for all. My body exploded into a myriad of micro particles that assembled with uncanny precision inside a circular precinct of astounding proportions. My eyes scanned the surroundings and I was very surprised to see numerous glass containers encircling me on all sides. On a closer look, I noticed that these containers served as shelters for dormant Kirschwassers, which was…well…_weird_. I could have sworn that Albedo had busted them all out of boredom during his stay at the Song of Nephilim. Surely these scenarios as well as the decorative Kirschwassers were all figments of Albedo's twisted mind. Or so I _thought_…

"Glad you could make it, Rubedo", said that damned voice. I turned around a bit startled and saw Albedo sitting placidly on a throne-like structure that not even Nephilim would have known how it got there. And speaking of Nephilim and creepy omniscient ghosts…heck, that orange-haired brat would have never guessed the big _ripple _I was gonna to cause.

"Take a look at me," he said and I did so, although not very enthusiastic about the idea. I always thought Albedo's fashion sense was a little off, but this was beyond craziness. He had changed his stupid skin-tight suit and the flimsy moth wings for _nothing _from the waist up, except for a necklace bearing "Father's" insignia hanging around his neck. The rest of his body—if that could be called _a body_—was a mass of purplish tissue connected to a pipeline that extended itself around the room. I never found out what those pipes were for anyways, but the sight of them adhered to my brother was not nice. "I've finally acquired what I was missing before", he continued speaking, "I may have lost my body, but I feel so much better."

It would have been easier to reason with the hard-headed KOS-MOS, but I still had to try.

"Stop the space-time anomaly, Albedo. There's still time if you do it" I said patiently. Albedo looked at me as though I were a weird bug and then shook his head.

"I'm to repent, am I? I think not. As my duty as an immortal, I've prepared a brand new world view for mankind. When I temporarily linked with U-DO, I climbed the ladder of evolution and saw the leaning tower of culture that humans have struggled to construct .It's not even a tower, really. It's a scaffold of rotting wood, built with meager knowledge and pitiful tools..."

"_What the heck is he talking about?"_ I thought, but I continue to listen to him with a faked interested look.

"….But a nice guy would tell them the truth, would he not?" I nearly snorted sarcastically at this (A_ nice guy? Yeah suuure…_), but managed to keep my face straight, "Hello! You've got it all wrong!"

"What are you gonna do with this region of space?" I asked, preparing my ears for another philosophical speech.

Albedo stood up. He swayed under the weight of the pipes, but managed to recover his equilibrium pretty quickly. He placed his hands on his waist to broaden the look of malign arrogance that was etching through his face. "Who knows?" said the crazy man, "Perhaps I'll cause a shift and shove this whole dimension into a high-order domain and kill everyone along the way." he extended his hands to the heavens, no, to the_ imaginary_ ceiling and cried, "IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS! THE TRUE ETERNAL CHAIN! "

That silly thought made him so happy that he started to emit his distinctive purple energy. B_y the way_, Albedo's aura conveniently matched with the color of his eyes and his new outrageous costume. _(Were our color patterns programmed too? Shesh…!_ )

"Happy days are here! They'll name a holiday after m---"

"DAMN! SHUT UP ALREADY!" My patience was screaming in protest. "If you don't stop! I WILL HAVE TO STOP YOU!" I too projected my scarlet aura while the chords of U-DO itself resonated within my ears. Albedo's presence was enough to drive me mad with fury, but I really…

_I really didn't want to kill him. _

_He was my little brother after all...oh well...not SO little but still!_

"Come, my positron..." he said, inviting me to come forward. "A weapon need not feel shame for desiring combat. Right now, I'd like to rip you to shreds even though, with that _size_ you have, there is not much to rip off!" Albedo began to cackle evilly while I, still shining as though hell itself was evaporating through my pores, took out my Makarovs and pointed them at my brother's head.

"Don't laugh at my height, YOU BASTARD!"

Fuming, I looked into Albedo's malevolent eyes and he returned the gaze intently, perhaps unaware of what the consequence of such action would be. For a split of second, his voice spoke clearly into my mind, but he wasn't_ exactly_ talking to _me_.

"_Ahh…at long last! Rubedo will finally pierce my body with those outdated guns he relishes so much. Soon I'll be free of the chains that bind me to this world; no more cells regenerating against MY WILL; no more 'scary U-DO'; no more loneliness! I shall be purged of malice, lust, greed, envy and all those deadly sins I've committed through my wretched existence. There'd be no better death than that delivered by my beloved brother. Soon I will be welcomed in paradise by seven virgins (1). THAT WILL BE GLORIOUS TOO! MWAAHHAHAHAHAHA!"_

His laughter snapped me back to reality and I unconsciously pulled the trigger of one of my Makarovs. The bullet perforated Albedo's right shoulder with such force that he fell against the throne and hit his head. A small grimace of pain crossed his face and it was then when I realized that Albedo was in no condition to fight.

_There was still hope…_

"MWAHAHHAA, is that the_ best_ you can do?" cried Albedo, straightening up and crossing his arms over his chest while exaggerated amounts of blood stemmed from the fresh wound.

"Albedo, this is stupid! Look, let's make a deal." I said lowering my guns.

"I don't make any deals with traitors like you! Kill me now! What are you waiting for?" yelled Albedo now genuinely annoyed.

"We'll both duel. If I defeat you, you are gonna stop the anomaly and come with me to the Durandal. If you win, you will finally get rid of me and you'll be free to dominate the world. How does that sound?" My childish side had taken over and, even though this was as stupid as it sounded , I wasn't gonna live the rest of my live regretting the fact that I could have saved my crazy brother but didn't. I _had_ to save him somehow…

_Unfortunately I didn't know that Albedo's powers were malfunctioning at that time…_

_To be continued…_

**Author notes: **So, did you guys like it? I hope I didn't make Jr. sound too OOC and yes I changed the wording of both Jr and Albedo so it would differ from the game.

(1) About the seven virgins, I think one religion claims that there are virgins waiting for you in heaven once you die. I don't remember which one it is at the moment, but I'm assuming that Albedo read about this in an old book and became obsessed with the idea ever since.

Tell me what you think of my English …! I'm practicing after all!

Thanks!


	2. Death match?

Thwarted Demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Xenosaga. I wish I did though

**Summary: **A re-telling of Episode II's ending by The Little Master himself. There are plenty of spoilers so BEWARE! This is semi-funny or perhaps not funny at all, but I enjoyed writing it

**_Chapter 2: Death match?_**

_(Jr. POV)_

_Space-time anomaly/Former Miltia site _

I wasn't gonna stain my hands with my brother's blood. No way. Yet, he seemed so damn hell-bent about dying that he refused my kind offer right away.

"What kind of deal is that?" he spluttered, "Are you aware that you are offering me the chance to live with you as though we were both on GOOD TERMS?"

"'But we are brothers!"

"That never meant anything to you, Rubedo! You are not trying to save me because you care about me! You are doing it because you wish to clean your stained conscience!" said Albedo, his voice dripping with bitterness.

"You are disappointing me Rubedo, and that's why…" the whole room began to shake beneath our feet, "…¡I will be the one to put an end to this quarrel and to you as well!" Albedo raised his arms and a burst of energy flared up around me. At that moment, I forgot all diplomacy and began shooting like mad through the blinding flames that threatened to engulf my body. One after the other, the cartridges fell empty at my feet with soft clunks and dissolved into dark blobs of metal; Albedo's evil laughter echoed across the dark walls making my blood boil until…

_BOOOM!_

The earsplitting explosion sent me flying against one of the containers located at the back of the room _(if it hadn't been for Shelley pushing vitamins and milk down my throat everyday, I would have broken my neck and kicked off the bucket right there). _Once the light, dust and energy had dissipated, I saw Albedo sitting on his throne with a beautiful and perfectly round bullet-hole on the middle of his forehead. I gasped in alarm and ran to my brother's feet while chunks of pillar rained down upon my head. The precinct was falling apart, but my life had little meaning if I'd accidentally done what I'd been avoiding to do…

To my relief, Albedo was still alive. When he raised his eyes to me, I noticed that a brilliant bullet was incrusted at the head of the throne. Hah! For a fleeting moment, I had put a bullet in his thick brain.

"Not bad, Rubedo…" he said pointing at the hole now adorning his brow, "…but your marksmanship sucks! You missed all but one!" The throne disappeared as well as the pipeline connected to his body. Albedo fell to his knees in front of me, dressed in old rags.

My worry did nothing but grow. "Albedo…you..."

"What's with that face? You look as though you had just lost your best friend" replied Albedo, his voice now soft and_ apparently_ free of insanity. He glanced at his hands and so did I. The bastard had begun to fade away! The corners of my eyes began to sting and I bowed my head hoping to hide the stupid tears.

"YOU BASTARD! You knew all along!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

"What are you talking about? I can't stand you or Nigredo," he said, but I could have sworn that he was actually trying to cheer me up. "You may say this is a release. At least I won't fear losing anyone anymore…"

"_No more madness; no more Miltia; no more lonely nights…! And the best of all is that Rubedo does love me in spite of everything I've done…" _

An unearthly light shined above our heads as four divine creatures descended from a brilliant pillar. With tear-stricken eyes, I saw how they took Albedo in their tiny arms and began to raise him to the heavens. The creatures were actually…Kirschwasser-angels.

_Kirschwassers-angels?_

_WHAT THE HECK?_

Yeah, I thought the same thing. I stood up and watched the scene completely flabbergasted. There was Albedo, being taken to heaven as though he were some sort of saint. Things couldn't have gotten weirder all right.

"Look Rubedo! I'm free!" cried Albedo, closing his eyes and extending his arms dramatically. He still looked very alive to me so I suddenly had an idea. I confess it wasn't a good one, but hey! It worked after all…!

Face dry and red aura blazing, I aimed my Makarovs at the winged Kirschwassers who halted in midair and looked down at me without blinking. "Albedo and I made a deal so get your little hands off him OR ELSE…!" I bellowed putting my fingers in the respective triggers.

The Kirschwassers looked at each other and then did what any normal being would have done if threatened by a kid as visibly 'perturbed' as I was at that moment: _flee_. The mushy background song stopped, the celestial light turned off and the four silver-haired 'angels' vanished letting Albedo free fall against the cold floor twelve feet below. The impact upon the ground was accompanied by the spectacular cracking of a neck.

"Did I just arrive?" murmured Albedo with his eyes still closed.

"Albedo! You are alive!" I yelled happily.

Albedo's purple eyes opened wide. An expression of mingled horror and fury took over his face as he stood up and placed his hands on his head which was hanging limply to one side of the severed neck. "WHAT? WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO, RUBEDO?" He glared at me and yanked his head off his body. He threw it to the ground and stepped on it with his bare-foot until a rather disgusting mass was left on the floor. Then he proceeded with his left arm which I barely dodged when he hurled it straight at my face. Albedo's beheaded and one-armed body wobbled aimlessly for a few seconds until his head reappeared over his shoulders and the arm-projectile materialized in the proper joint.

"Noooo…nooooo…" hissed Albedo while he clutched his new skull in despair.

The precinct began to shake once more. It was time to get the hell out of that place. More pillars collapsed around us and some of the glass tanks cracked, empting the water that keep the Kirschwassers at bay.

"Albedo, we gotta get out of here before we're swallowed up by the space-time anomaly!" I seized Albedo's arm and tried to drag him towards the exit, but my brother didn't budge.

"My efforts were a waste," murmured Albedo looking at me with oddly glazed eyes, "Rubedo…why…?" And he fell limp upon my shoulder completely out cold. It is needless to say that my knees buckled painfully under twice my weight, but I managed to heave the unconscious Albedo a few more steps until exhaustion finally took over my muscles.

"AWW MAN! At this rate we'll never get out of here!"

"Please, allow us to help you", said a small voice so similar to MOMO that, for a second there, I thought it was her. Six Kirschwassers with neat hair and sparkling clean uniforms were standing in front of me. Before I had time to answer _(or react for that matter)_, the Realians dislodged Albedo from my shoulder and gently placed him on the floor. I watched in awe as two of them seized his heels, the other two took hold of his wrists, one secured his back and the last one marched proudly beside the others as they lifted Albedo's body and carried him effortlessly through the collapsing corridor with me sprinting at full speed behind them.

_Now you know why the Kirschwassers are dressed like nurses…_

_To be continued…_

**Author's notes: ** Again, I hope I didn't make Jr. sound too OOC. I'm awful at describing things but I do hope you can visualize what's going on… :blushes:

Comments are appreciated!

Thanks!


	3. Broken heart

Thwarted Demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Xenosaga. I wish I did though

**Summary: **A re-telling of Episode II's ending by The Little Master himself. There are plenty of spoilers so BEWARE! This time however I will switch to Sakura(?)'s point of view and then to third point of view later on.

**Chapter 3: Broken heart**

( Sakura POV)

_Space-time anomaly/Former Miltia site???_

I found Rubedo ensnared by the pitch-black darkness that leaked from his grieved soul. He was crying for his brother…his now dead brother. Poor Rubedo. His fiery demeanor only hid the fragility of his temperance. He wouldn't have survived if I, Sakura Mizrahi, hadn't stepped in to help him. He used to love me in the past. Surely my words would bring comfort to his torn heart.

"What's wrong, Rubedo?"

"Now that I feel like I've atoned for my sins…I can't find the way back to the Durandal!" he answered between sobs.

"Is _that_ why you are crying?"

"Leave me alone!" said Rubedo sounding upset, "Just when I save my brother, we get stuck in this stupid dark place. We will end up worse than dead once the entire anomaly collapses with us inside."

"Your brother?" I asked feeling a bit confused. That was when I saw six silver-haired Realians holding the semi-naked body of a grown man with white hair. My stomach nearly overturned with horror.

"Were you really THAT weak, Rubedo?" I cried completely nonplussed.

"Wha...what do you mean, Sakura? I don't understand--"

"Well, weren't you supposed to kill THAT brother?"

"Sakura!" exclaimed Rubedo, seeming startled by my sarcastic remark, "The original plan was to finish him off, but I had the opportunity to save him so I did!"

I sighed and put my face in my hands. "But that's not the Rubedo I know…!" Rubedo looked at me as though I had just run a dagger through his chest. _Way to go Sakura. You were supposed to comfort him, not make him feel even worse!_

"I don't regret what I did…and it doesn't matter anyways as we will all end up dead…"

"I'm sorry Rubedo! I didn't mean to say that! It's just…please, don't let that man hurt my little sister again!" My body briefly transfigured into the shape of the 100-hundred series Realian that was modeled after me. Rubedo's cerulean eyes suddenly widened in realization. He couldn't give up and leave my sister by herself!

"Sakura, you are right! I promised that I would protect MOMO and I failed once, no, twice! But I swear that I will take care of both Albedo and MOMO now and I'll make sure he doesn't hurt her ever again!"

I knew Rubedo wasn't very good at keeping promises, but his optimism was contagious. I walked towards him with open arms, my heart rate intensifying with each step. This was unusual since I'd been…_ahem_… _DEAD _for almost fourteen years, but the fuzzy feeling was wonderful!

"That's right! That's the Rubedo that I …_love_..!" I put special emphasis in the last word and felt my cheeks growing hotter with anticipation. Rubedo staggered towards my embrace with a watery smile plastered on his face. We were so close then…so close that his nose bumped softly into mine, but then…

_HE ruined it! _

_How DARE he interrupt a little princess's first kiss?_

I felt my consciousness being ripped apart from the body that HE had graciously allowed me to use. I decided to make use of brute force (spiritually speaking of course) reflected in mental cries, kicks and bites, but HIS power was beyond anything I could hope to fight. He kicked me out of his body and then regained his original form in 1..2..3 seconds! Just like that!

_That EVIL silver-haired boy! Calling me back and then sending me off during such a crucial moment!_

My now disembodied consciousness watched in frustration as Rubedo, finally defeated by fatigue, fainted in HIS arms instead of mine. The evil man held him by the shoulders and said something that I could not hear, for my soul had begun to drift farther and farther away towards eternity.

_EVIL…EVIL…!_

I felt nothing but rage as I hid in one small corner of the ethereal universe. My soul cried for revenge, no, for HIS head. I AM a little princess and no one EVER ruins a little princess's first kiss.

_HE HAD TO PAY!_

_Space-time anomaly/Former Miltia site???_

The enigmatic and handsome silver-haired cherub known to all of us as 'chaos' appeared just in time to save the life of our red-haired hero and his companions. He pushed a crazed Sakura out of his mind and held Jr by his shoulders as he fell limp against him. Poor little Jr.

"You've done well, Jr", he said in his new, husky voice, "But I must admit that your little feat surprised us all."

Someone snorted sarcastically in the background. chaos turned to find a little girl with orange hair, white dress and a dangling cross around her neck holding a folder in her minute hands. Upon the surface of the cover were the words "Original script for Also Sprach Zarathustra" printed in golden letters.

"How could you sound so calm, chaos?" yelled Nephilim at the top of her lungs while shaking the script insanely in front of her. "Feb and I will have to write this all over again!"

"The next episode will come out in two years or so, Nephilim" said chaos sounding calmer than usual which earned him a blood-curdling glare from the little girl, "You will have enough time to rewrite the script. I could help you if you wish."

chaos' voice was overflowing with gentleness, but a sly smile actually tugged at his lips. I shall reveal to you all that chaos' ulterior motive was to add a few _steamy kisses _between KOS-MOS and himself for the next installment. Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, the all-knowing Nephilim saw right through these…ahh…_lustful_ intentions.

"No thanks! No one else can read nor _modify_ the script" said Nephilim while chaos pouted. Her gaze traveled from the six obedient Kirschwassers and the unconscious Albedo to Jr and then back to chaos, who was still looking uncharacteristically upset.

"I doubt he would be able to rest in peace", she said tilting her head towards Jr.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Nephilim", answered chaos dully, "This is not the end or anything…"

"True. This is just the beginning!", a small sigh escaped from Nephilim's lips, "I guess I will consider this unexpected turn of events as a ripple that has just been born."

chaos couldn't help but find Nephilim's words both senseless and amusing. "I'm glad to hear you saying that," he said smiling and then looked down to Jr's sleeping form. "Well, let's go back to others."

With these words the black velvet curtain fell upon the scene leaving us all wondering what was to become of the future of the Xenouniverse and of the two URTV brothers reunited once more by an unexpected twist of fate.

But…

_What became of the Zohar and our dearest Wilhelm, CEO of Vector and Lord of the Shadows?_

_That would have to wait…or maybe not…_

_To be continued…_

**Author's notes: ** I hope you didn't find Sakura's POV too boring :blush: And yes…characters are beginning to turn a bit OOC…

Comments are appreciated!

Thanks!


	4. The Conspiracy

Thwarted Demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Xenosaga. I wish I did though

**Summary: **A re-telling of Episode II's ending. There are plenty of spoilers so BEWARE! I'm fully switching to third POV for this chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

**Author's note:** I would like to address the kind reviewers individually so here I go!

**Ally:** You were my first reviewer so thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it!

**Relika Lockheart: **Your review made me very happy. Mind you, I didn't want Albedo to die so yes! Albedo LIVES! MWAHAHA! Oh, and I like the song "I'm free" too but I thought that Jr 'would have thought' that the song was sappy/mushy. Perhaps I should have used those words instead…uhmm ( psst…AlbedoxRubedo? Er… )

**AmissatheAries:** WOW! THANKS! I hope you keep bursting into laughter when you read the next chapters

**NaruNaru.O.k:** You think my English is awesome::blushes: thank you, thank you… ;;

**Demonslayer: **Thank you! I will do my best to continue!

**Sara's shadow: **Gracias! The Kirschwassers are very efficient nurses..I tell ya.. -

**Chapter 4: The conspiracy**

_Wilhelm's office/Dämmerung/Old Miltia Site_

Wilhelm watched in delight as the space-time anomaly vanished, leaving the Original Zohar floating aimlessly in space. Albedo had just been defeated and in a few seconds, Abel's Ark would appear in order to reclaim the precious golden object. All this would happen as dictated by the one and only Compass of Order. If only Wilhelm had taken a small look at the mentioned artifact, he'd have noticed that something _very_ wrong was going on by the way it spun and whizzed out of control upon his desk.

Meanwhile, Wilhelm's faithful underling, Scarlet Cloak, was immersed in his own thoughts. He was remembering with nostalgia the brief encounter with Shion Uzuki at the Omega System. Shion looked even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her face to face.

Yet, _something_ about her appearance had _truly_ perturbed him…

The sudden happiness that had overwhelmed him as he looked at his 'ex girlfriend' had vanished the moment he noticed that the young woman was not wearing the glasses he had so lovingly given to her. _Had she forgotten him? _The masked man gritted his teeth while poisonous anger coursed through the veins of his resuscitated body. _Had she replaced him for ANOTHER man? _

He_ had_ to find out, but his current 'Testament' title bound him to his duties as the CEO's legal, scientific, financial and romantic Guru. He had no time to investigate Shion's private issues aside from those _issues _that concerned KOS-MOS and the path to Lost Jerusalem. Scarlet Cloak needed something that all employees _must _have from time to time: vacations. But, _could he leave on his quest to murder Shion's new man and leave Wilhelm under the care of his fellow Testaments in arms?_

_The nanoseconds lengthened horribly…_

Unaware of Scarlet's Cloak dilemma, Wilhelm continued to stare anxiously at the Zohar. "It'll appear any time now…" he murmured and to calm his fidgety nerves he began to bite his nails.

_The microseconds lengthened horribly_

When he had no nails left, the youthful man took out a lavender handkerchief from his pocket and bit its end while his heart thumped dangerously fast in his chest.

_The seconds lengthened horribly_

Drenched in cold sweat and with a sharp pain in his jaw, Wilhelm pressed his nose against the glass feeling on the verge of insanity. "It's coming…hahahaha ..Abel's Ark…hihihihi… it's coming...heheheh" he whispered between demonic chuckles.

Indeed, the rumbling noises of motors that could be heard in the distance probably belonged to an alien spaceship that was about to materialize before his very eyes. Or maybe not. The Durandal sped right next to the Dämmerung and before Wilhelm, Ormus or the Gnosis could react, the scarlet battleship salvaged the Original Zohar in the name of the Kukai Foundation. With the 12 Emulators and the Original, Jr and Gaignun's collection was complete.

"Wha…what just happened?" asked Wilhelm completely flabbergasted. Scarlet Cloak snapped back to reality _(Is she perhaps dating another coworker? WHO? ) _and answered him promptly.

"_One day, Abel will exempt his brother for every sin. Then a crimson phoenix shall rise from the ashes taking in its steely claws the Key that leads to Lost Jerusalem, the Gaia that witnessed our birth …as a thief in the darkness.." _he recited.

"That's not what the prophecy said!" cried Wilhelm looking at his counselor with suspicious little eyes.

"No," replied the Testament shrugging, "But it fits with the scene that we've just witnessed, doesn't it? "

"Are you telling me that Albedo is _still_ alive?"

"Most likely"

"What an interesting surprise," said Wilhelm regaining his calm and business-like demeanor, "I wonder if this is _somebody else's hand at work_…" In that precise instant, the CEO's piercing stare meet chaos' cherubic eyes. The silver-haired boy happened to be standing—wearing no spacesuit whatsoever-- on top of the Durandal as though it were the most casual and normal way to contact an old friend. Wilhelm nearly had a heart attack.

"_YOU!",_ he cried telepathically at his former partner now Nemesis as he watched him in awe through the window, _"You said that you were not going to intervene!"_

"_I've made up my mind. I will work with you once more. Temporarily of course."_

Wilhelm couldn't believe it!

"Why are you interested in returning to the stages, Yeshua?", he asked his former Nemesis now partner with an amused tone.

"I'm sure you noticed that Jr. managed to save Albedo," explained 'Yeshua' calmly, "Because of this, the door that leads to Abel's Ark remains closed and while it remains this way, the story—as it was originally written—cannot continue. We must fix this minor glitch as soon as possible."

"I see," replied Wilhelm with a sly little smile, "Am I right to say that you do not wish to relegate your role as the protagonist in the next _act_?"

chaos' eyebrow twitched suspiciously, but he chose to ignore Wilhelm's comment. "Jr and Albedo must fight each other again, and this time, definitely. Only then will the Ark reappear making the story flow as it is supposed to be. Will you help me with this small task?"

"It will be my pleasure," said the CEO of Vector with a huge smile on his face, "I love to hear you speaking with such passion, Yeshua. _It'll be just like the old times…"_

_To be continued…_

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Meanwhile, Virgil AKA Blue Cloak and Voyager had embarked on a journey towards Heaven to offer Albedo the ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME opportunity to become a Testament under the orders of Wilhelm The Great, Master Puppeteer and Lord of the Shadows. You might be wondering how these peculiar cloaked characters got to Heaven in the _first_ place. Very simple: as Testaments they had the ability to walk between three worlds, Hell, Earth—er… any existent planet...—and Paradise (with limited access, of course).

Now imagine their surprise when, instead of finding the crazy URTV, they saw seven weeping maidens and 4 Realian-looking angels huddled up in fear a few paces away from them.

"Excuse us, ladies," said Blue Cloak trying to sound like an interesting and desirable man, "Could you tell us where Albedo is?"

The girls cried even harder. Voyager stepped forward and showed them the Testament costume that he held in his hands.

"If you came here for his soul, I'm afraid that you will leave with empty hands", said one of the girls between sobs, "Albedo is _STILL ALIVE_…"

"WHAT THE HELL?" yelled Blue Cloak, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THE WHOLE TRIP WAS FOR NOTHING!"

Voyager placed his hand on Virgil's shoulder and shook his head.

"What? Are you saying that the trip wasn't in vain?" Voyager nodded and tilted his head towards the maidens who looked up at them with puzzled eyes, "Ahh! That's right! If that idiot Albedo refused the company of these beautiful ladies I don't see why we can't EAT them…"

Voyager's eyes widened in fear, but Virgil laughed merrily and patted his comrade's back.

"BAKAAA! (1) You fell for it!"

Voyager sighed in relief and turned to leave, but Virgil quickly stepped in front of him.

"Wait…"

"..?"

"We can't go back to Wilhelm just yet! You know what will happen if we turn up with the costume and nobody to wear it!"

Voyager and Virgil exchanged dark, serious looks as they recalled the horrible image of an insanely angry Wilhelm shaking a threatening finger under their noses and doing even more evil things.

FLASHBACK---

"I give you 48 hours to find and resuscitate Albedo. He will be the WHITE CLOAK…and shall fulfill his duties as the weaver of the eternal circle of Zarathustra. Bring him here at all costs or ELSE…" Wilhelm let out a demonic chuckle and grabbed the King chess piece from the board on which he had been playing with Scarlet cloak a few hours ago. The cloaked duo watched in horror as the CEO attempted to impale his hand with the King's crown once, twice, thrice and blood began to pour from the delicate skin he had managed to puncture…

"hihihi…hehehe..hahaha"

END of FLASHBACK---

The two unlucky Testaments shuddered in fear.

_They needed to find someone with a shining will to fill the post of White Cloak …_

_And FAST!_

**Author's note # 2: **Okay, that was insane but I hope you liked it! Comments? Suggestions? Death threats? They are all welcome! Classes are just starting down here in my country…--; but I will try to update as often as I can. Please, tell me if you like it…XD

Baka is idiot in Japanese. Not that I know a lot of Japanese…er…

THANK YOU!


	5. The truth revealed!

Thwarted Demise

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Xenosaga. I wish I did though

**Summary: **The re-telling of the ending is over so I'm finally moving on to the real story. The chapters are fairly short because I don't want to bore you to death or anything

**Chapter 5: The truth revealed!**

_Durandal/Bridge_

Once aboard the Durandal, Jr was welcomed with an effusive hug from MOMO. Shion also seemed pleased to see him in one piece.

"Did you make up with him?" asked the young engineer with a hint of compassion in her voice. The peculiar relationship between the two URTV brothers strongly reminded her of Jin and herself. Well…maybe _just a little_.

"Er…", stuttered Jr while Shion looked at him curiously, "He said he hated me until the very end…you know…we're both pretty stubborn." Jr had a hard time hiding the awful truths about his life to his friends, but…what other choice did he have? He didn't feel ready to introduce Albedo to society! What if his brother's screws were still loose? The red-headed boy couldn't jeopardize the well-being of the people, Realians, A.W.G.S and androids aboard the battleship for his brother's sake.

_Damn…I've been careless again, haven't I? _

"Are you feeling okay, Jr?" asked MOMO, squeezing his arm gently to get his attention. The young Realian had stayed by his side during the entire 'Zohar's retrieval process' and seemed genuinely worried about his quietness. After all, it was unusual to see Jr. with such a grave expression on his youthful face.

"Uhh, yeah…I'm just a little tired. That's all!" he said trying to sound unconcerned.

"Little Mastah!" cried Mary while Shelley and the blue-haired 100-Series pushed buttons hastily in their respective work stations, "Why don't you lie down for a little while? My sis and I will take care of the ol' Zohar for ya!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," said Shelley slowly, "Please, take a rest Little Master."

"Aww well, if you guys insist! (_I could force Albedo to wake up and check his mental state_) See ya later Shion, KOS-MOS!" said Jr with a small smile and a wave as he stepped on the elevator with MOMO still clinging to his right arm.

"Uhmm, can I accompany you to your bedroom?" murmured MOMO with slight blush grazing her cheeks.

"Er…" the girl's golden eyes lit up which made Jr feel increasingly uncomfortable and guilty. To hide the truth from Shion was one thing, but to hide it from _MOMO_…

"Sure, no problem!"

They both took the elevator and then headed for the transport that would take them to the residential area. On the way the pair received the nosy glances of many of the Durandal's crew members. Now that the popularity of the 'Little Master' had increased enormously with the captain's triumphant return, the odds that he would confess his love to the adorable 100-Series prototype had raised as well. Indeed, the rumor that the Little Master had grown rather fond on the artificial girl was flying back and forth between the Durandal and The Foundation at alarming speed these days.

When they reached Jr's room, MOMO let go of his hand and gave him one of her tender smiles.

"I hope you get a good rest! Good night!" she said and turned around to check on Ziggy. Jr hadn't said a word during the short trip to his room and the young Realian assumed that he was still upset for his brother's demise. A pure soul like MOMO's could not held any grudges and even if Albedo had hurt her in the past, his death as well as Jr's ordeal depressed her greatly. She didn't want to interrupt Jr's rest on such a sad day.

"MOMO, wait… I gotta tell you something", murmured Jr. after making sure the coast was clear. The synthetic girl spun around and looked at him with her full attention. The seriousness on Jr's face quickly turned into nervousness as he stood under MOMO's inquisitive gaze.

On the bridge, Mary, Shion, and a group of 100-Series were looking at MOMO and Jr. through one of the surveillance cameras located outside the Little Master's room. The screen showed the two 'teenagers' absorbed in a quiet conversation

"Look y'all! The Little Master is gonna declare his love to MOMO!" chimed the Realian that constantly tried to mimic Mary's southern accent. The others hushed her up and watched the scene with bated breath.

"I must admit that this is better than a soap show, Mary but…aren't we violating his privacy?" said Shion with a smile.

Mary winked mischievously at her. "Of course not! Besides, the Little Mastah ain't bright enough ta notice. I've been doin' this for months an' months!"

Shelley let out a soft chuckle. She was still monitoring the activity of the Original Zohar in the quarantine hangar, but that didn't stop her from stealing a few glances at the monitor every minute or so. "True, she spies on Little Master and MOMO whenever they're aboard the Durandal, while Hammer and Tony inform her about the events that take place between them on the Elsa. I've told her that Little Master will fire her if he finds out."

"But only the Kaiser can fire us, Shelley!"

"Shhh! I think Jr. is saying something!" said Shion.

"Turn the volume up, please" said Shelley in a dignified tone.

"What do you want to tell me?" asked the Realian when she saw that Jr remained silent.

"Well…er…it is a little complicated"

MOMO tilted her head, her curiosity increasing. She didn't recall seeing Jr. this nervous before, but she had to admit that he looked absolutely cute.

_But…what…what am I thinking? _MOMO's cheeks reddened profusely and she began to feel short of breath.

"Well……" Jr. stammered. The young Realian took a tiny step forward and smiled shyly at him.

"Yes..?"

_Would she condemn him for bringing Albedo to the Durandal or forgive him? He had to take the risk._

The red-head took a deep breath. "I brought Albedo to the Durandal" he said and then quickly added, "I know I shouldn't have done it, but listen…it seems that I managed to neutralize the U-DO waves that had invaded his body without killing him! He might not be a wacko anymore and---"he stopped abruptly to observe MOMO's reaction. The young Realian had placed both hands on the sides of her face in a poor attempt to conceal her blushing cheeks and the look of childish devotion that had taken over her beautiful eyes.

"MOMO?"

"Oh Jr…I…I feel the same way about you… tooo…" she said in a very quiet and dazed tone.

"Huh? What did you say? Your molars hurt?" asked Jr. as he took her by the shoulders worriedly. Unfortunately, the artificial girl mistook the URTV's action for something else and she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Nooo, Jr…I…I …this is so embarrassing….but I don't…I don't know how…" she murmured between her fingers as her cheeks reddened even more. Now there was hardly any difference between MOMO's face and Jr's fiery crimson hair.

"Rubedo, what are you doing to ma pêche?"

Jr. and MOMO both jumped and before the Realian could shriek in fear, the little URTV hugged her defensively against his chest.

"Hey! What is wrong with you? Sneaking behind us like that!" yelled Jr. while he held MOMO's head to shield her virgin eyes from the scantily clad Albedo. "How the hell did you get out of the room?"

"So that's how Mastah Gaignun looks without his suit!" squealed Mary joyfully while the 100 Series stared at the screen with widened eyes.

"How could you say that at a time like this, Mary?" cried Shion, "Albedo is a dangerous man! And he's here!"

"Affirmative," said KOS-MOS who had remained standing stoically beside her creator without saying much, "There is a 96.9999999 percent probability that the URTV unit 667 is still mentally unstable."

Albedo let out his famous 5-minutes cackle. The truth was that, sane or insane, Albedo simply wouldn't be Albedo if he didn't laugh like a madman. When he finished cackling, he took a deep breath and smiled placidly at his red-headed brother. "Are you referring to those 4 walls in which you tried to imprison me?" said Albedo pointing at Jr's bedroom with his thumb, "That was preposterous, Rubedo! Normal rooms cannot restrain me!"

"Yeah, I noticed…" said Rubedo through gritted teeth. "Do me a favor and put some clothes on, will you? Don't expect me to let you strut around my ship looking like that!

"Jr…what's happening?" whispered MOMO against his shirt.

"Nothing MOMO, don't worry"

"Don't expect me to fit in your clothes either, Rubedo!" sneered Albedo, "You might have stayed small, but I did grow and a LOT…"

"Damn! I told you not to make fun of my height!" Jr. let go of MOMO and stood with clenched fists in front of Albedo who looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "Come on, I will take you to Gaignun's room. I'm sure some of his clothes will fit you just fine…" And with that the red headed URTV steered his brother with little difficulty to the Kaiser's quarters, leaving a very confused 100-Series prototype behind him.

"_Jr…Jr…hugged me again" _MOMO sighed completely oblivious of the scene that had just happened before her eyes.

"MOMO…"said a little voice.

"Eh?" MOMO turned towards the voice and her eyes widened, "OH! No. 44, No. 57, No. 88, No.39, No.66 and No.95! My sisters! You are still alive!"

"Yes," replied the Kirschwasser No. 95, "Just like our Master Albedo. Please extend our gratitude to Rubedo for saving our Master's life."

"Albedo? Albedo is _alive_?"

_MOMO didn't understand what was going on. _

_To be continued…_

**Author notes:** What didja think? I'm trying my best not to make the characters too outrageously OOC even though that's always fun neh? I might include a bit of Jr x MOMO if you wish…uhmm…

Comments are appreciated!

GRACIAS!


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